In the past, golf club heads were made of wood, typically either persimmon wood or other high quality hard woods either in solid or laminated form, which was cut and sanded into the desired shape. Subsequently, golfers wanted more control of the shape and weight distribution of the club, so manufacturers began to make clubs heads out of metal, such as stainless steel or titanium. Metal clubs, however, are not as aesthetically pleasing as their wood counterparts and produce an artificial or tinny sound when impacted upon a golf ball.
Further, in a conventional wood-type golf club, the shaft is connected to the wooden head of the club by being secured in a bore near the rear or heel portion of the head. The center of gravity of the club head and the ball-striking surface of the club head are out of alignment with the shaft. This produces a twisting action or torque on the shaft both during the swinging of the club and as a result of impact with the golf ball. Typically, the shaft-receiving bore or hosel in a conventional wooden head golf club is surrounded by a relatively thin sheath of wood that must hold the head securely onto the shaft. The severe strains encountered in swinging the club and hitting a golf ball frequently causes this thin wooden sheath to split or crack.
Golfers, in an attempt to specifically control the weight of the golf club, have individually weighted a club head according to the specific characteristics of the golfer using the club. Adding weight to the club head changes the flex of the shaft, the kick point of the swing, and the swing weight of the club. Golfers have typically adjusted the weight of the club head by adding weight to the outside surface of the club head or using awkward, multi-part weight distribution methods such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,776,011, 5,720,674 and 3,692,306.